Articles

Push and Pull branding are marketing strategies. They do sound like something new in the marketing trade but closer scrutiny will show you that they are not. They used to be known as inbound and outbound marketing strategies and back then, it used to be simple. How simple? You buy a print ad space or a TV spot and advertise your product to consumers. You showcase your products in a store display or a giant billboard to help sell more products to new customers. Instant contact meant instant sales. Each time a consumer comes in contact with your product is an opportunity to sell and is always considered a plus.

With the increase of opportunities to encounter or engage potential consumers, also called “touch points” particularly in social media, the number of ways one can engage, convert and sell to have increased and is still increasing at a rapid rate. Those in marketing has now begun to factor how many times one’s product or services can come into contact with target consumers in social media. How many times can potential consumers see or hear what the company have to say? How many times can potential consumers be reminded that great products or services are waiting for them in the company’s stores? Note that this only takes into consideration the frequency of contact. This does not even put into account the success or conversion rate each “encounter” makes. And this is why is no longer as simple as it once was.

Where does Branding (and perfect logo designs) fall into all of this? Is branding a push strategy or a pull strategy? Why? The best way to get started is to get the terms defined distinctly to prevent confusion.

Your logo tells a story about you. It communicates not just what you do or who you are but also tells your “truth” — like what moves you or what does your company stand for or even what your company aspires to be. According to branding experts, that tiny piece of graphic called the logo must tell something about you in about 90 seconds. Amazing, right? Just like your logo, everything you try to communicate to your market, all the information that comes from you — whether it be an ad, a flyer, a tweet, or a Facebook post — is done to tell people who matter to you :

The application of colour in branding is more than just a creative concern. It is not something that should be based on a whim (I want my logo to be red because red is my favourite colour!) or a design look (green is the colour of the year!) with no regard to the implications the choice of colour brings. Colour is not just a design element as some business owners and graphic designers tend to believe. The right application of colour can connect a brand to its target market, can communicate much more effectively than the logo form and can determine whether a brand can be trusted.

Often, the application of colour to logo design and branding results in a passionate discussion between opposing points of view. One side believes colour and persuasion, or even a call to action, are intricately linked. That red makes you bold, yellow makes you happy and green makes you health-conscious. The other side believes that colour is too dependent on “personal factors” like age, gender, state of health, upbringing and culture to be categorically “boxed”. They argue that colour can mean many things to different people across different cultures. That while white is a colour of purity in the Western world, in China it is a colour of mourning. And while red is the colour of purity in India, it is the colour of mourning in South Africa.

Whether you are for or against either of these two opposing views, that is not what this article is about. It is about the common thread these opposing views share: How to choose the right colour for your brand?

In this always connected “virtual” world of internet a business website is the next big thing to reality. Most of our surfing whether for purchase, social media, food, news etc. involves hopping around different websites and see what fits our need. And since there are lots of other websites waiting at the click of a button, the time to engage and convey the right message is very small. The best business websites understand their customers and provide as much information about the company using the least number of words. It explains to the consumer why the company is the best option to do business with and eventually solicit the consumer to buy or subscribe to the services the company offers. Redesigning a business website plays a major role to achieve these goals. It’s a continuous process and there are number of pointers you have to adhere to in order to get a reasonable number of visitors on your page and convert them into a potential lead.

From colours to elements to fonts, right down to the rainbow, the stars and the dancing unicorns (just kidding), some business owners instruct their graphic designers to strictly follow what they want when creating their logos. Rather than ask a graphic designer’s opinion, explore and discuss ideas, some business owners tell what they want their logos to look like. Some would say “Make my logo look a little bit of my competitor, but not too much” as if the little and the too much would help create the unique identity that would help the business standout in a crowded marketplace. Others would say “Just make it look good” — thinking anything that looks good can’t be bad for business, right? Well, Not quite right actually. In spite of good looks a business logo must posses key graphic elements to make it iconic and memorable:

One of the biggest Pizza Giant in the world, Pizza Hut has unveiled it’s new logo identity today. The new corporate logo aims for the stripped back approach. The new identity has kept its signature corporate color and famous mark as it is but now put inside a circle depicted as a pizza. Pizza Hut is also running “Flavor of now” rebranding campaign. They are also planning to roll out new menu next week. This massive rebrand includes a new logo, website, added menu items, packaging, uniforms.